Richard Brakenburg

Richard Brakenburg painted lively village celebrations: merry companies, family meals, feast days and drinking parties, crowded with figures and full of good humour. He followed the tradition of Adriaen van Ostade and Jan Steen, and he handled light and shadow well.

He was born in Haarlem in 1650 and trained with Hendrik Mommers. He lived in Leeuwarden in Friesland for some years, between about 1670 and 1687, before returning to Haarlem, where he died in 1702. Besides genre scenes he painted Italianate landscapes and portraits and made engravings. His paintings are in the Rijksmuseum, the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna and the Royal Collection, which has two scenes of artists’ studios.

St Nicholas Eve and May Queen Festival show his favourite subject, Dutch festivals and family celebrations.